Harbor cops Fortney and Leeds patrol San Diego's Mission Bay. Their days now are anything but typical. The America's Cup regattas have come to town and there are swarms of sailors, schemiers, spies and saboteurs. A cuppie named Blaze has tweaked their interest and its Blaze who sets off a bizarre criminal trail that would be hilarious if it didn't wind up just as nasty as it gets, with a pair of murders right on the eve of the biggest sailing event ever.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
Mick Fortney and his partner Leeds manage to cruise above the standard police stress-pools of coffee and Pepto-Bismol - they're water cops in the "Club Harbor Unit," manning a patrol boat on San Diego's Mission Bay. A typically rough day's detail consists of scoping out body-sculpted beauties on pleasure craft, rescuing boating bozos who've run aground, jeering at lifeguards, and hauling in the occasional floater who comes to the surface. But now their days are anything but typical, because the America's Cup international sailing regattas have come to town and suddenly San Diego is swarming with yacht crazies of every nationality, the cuppies who want to love them, and the looky-loo tourists, racing spies, scam artists, and hookers who all want their piece of the action. It's the outstanding body and jaunty smile - full of mischief, full of hell - of one cuppie, a particularly fiery redhead named Blaze, that gets Leeds and Fortney's attention. First Leeds drowns in frustratingly unrequited boozy love from afar. Then, with her increasingly odd behavior, Blaze tweaks every one of their cop instincts, alerting them that something's not quite right on the waterfront. Indeed, Blaze will soon lead leggy Detective Anne Zorn and Mick Fortney along a bizarre criminal trail that would be hilarious if it didn't wind up just as nasty as it gets, with a pair of murders right on the eve of the biggest sailing race of all.

Mick Fortney and his partner Leeds manage to cruise above the standard police stress-pools of coffee and Pepto-Bismol - they're water cops in the "Club Harbor Unit," manning a patrol boat on San Diego's Mission Bay. A typically rough day's detail consists of scoping out body-sculpted beauties on pleasure craft, rescuing boating bozos who've run aground, jeering at lifeguards, and hauling in the occasional floater who comes to the surface. But now their days are anything but typical, because the America's Cup international sailing regattas have come to town and suddenly San Diego is swarming with yacht crazies of every nationality, the cuppies who want to love them, and the looky-loo tourists, racing spies, scam artists, and hookers who all want their piece of the action. It's the outstanding body and jaunty smile - full of mischief, full of hell - of one cuppie, a particularly fiery redhead named Blaze, that gets Leeds and Fortney's attention. First Leeds drowns in frustratingly unrequited boozy love from afar. Then, with her increasingly odd behavior, Blaze tweaks every one of their cop instincts, alerting them that something's not quite right on the waterfront. Indeed, Blaze will soon lead leggy Detective Anne Zorn and Mick Fortney along a bizarre criminal trail that would be hilarious if it didn't wind up just as nasty as it gets, with a pair of murders right on the eve of the biggest sailing race of all.

A plot to sabotage New Zealand's entry in the America's Cup regatta forms the premise for Wambaugh's latest police thriller, a slow-moving affair that nonetheless features the author's usual rough-and-tumble prose as well as an intriguing examination of both aquatic police work and the world of competitive yachting. The prime conspirator is Ambrose Lutterworth, the "Keeper of the Cup," an aging real estate agent and yachting enthusiast. Ambrose hopes to prevent the trophy from leaving its temporary home at the San Diego Yacht Club by using expensive call girl Blaze Duvall to coerce the city's harbor crane operator into damaging the powerful New Zealand boat in dry dock, ensuring an American victory. Blaze's conspicuous trail is picked up by a pair of harbor cops, Fortney and Leeds, who receive some vital assistance from a couple of vice cops. Wambaugh takes too long to develop Lutterworth's unimaginative scheme and to link an eventual murder to the posh world of the America's Cup. The sparks fly, however, when the sabotage plan unravels and an attempted blackmail results in another murder. The author's trademark sardonic writing is in full force here, and the police material is, as always, authentic, with the harbor cops' antics particularly entertaining. This may not be Wambaugh's high water mark, but it's not his low tide, either.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW

Harbor cops Fortney and Leeds have a good time patrolling San Diego's Mission Bay, scoping out body-sculpted beauties on pleasure craft, rescuing boating bozos who've run aground, and hauling in the occational floater.

But now their days are anything but typical, for the America's Cup regattas have come to town and San Diego swarms with sailors, schemers, spies, and saboteurs, and the cuppies who want to love them. It's a randy cuppie named Blaze who tweaks their cop instincts that something's not quite right on the waterfront--and it's Blaze who sets off a bizarre criminal trail that would be hilarious if it didn't wind up just as nasty as it gets, with a pair of murders right on the eve of the biggest sailing race of all.

Taking place in San Diego at the time of an America's Cup regatta, with the city teeming with a variety of schemers and saboteurs as well as body-sculpted beauties. The cops follow a bizarre criminal trail as nasty as it gets.

Harbor cops Fortney and Leeds have a good time patrolling San Diego's Mission Bay, scoping out body-sculpted beauties on pleasure craft, rescuing boating bozos who've run aground, and hauling in the occasional floater.
But now their days are anything but typical, for the America's Cup regattas have come to town and San Diego swarms with sailors, schemers, spies, and saboteurs, and the cuppies who want to love them.

Harbor cops Fortney & Leeds have a good time partrolling San Diego's Mission Bay, scoping out body-sculpted beauties on pleasure craft, rescuing boating bozos who've run aground, and hauling in a occastional floater.
Then the America's Cup regatta came to town and so did many stangers. Many things begin to happen including a couple of murders.